Just the way it is
by QueenOfCrackShip
Summary: He knew everyone had been rooting for Natsu and Lucy to get together, but that wasn't the way things worked out and they all had to accept that was just the way it is. [Gray F., Lucy H.] GrayLu One shot.


Listen, he knew that the guild was a huge fan of "shipping" their OTP's, but for Christ sake, did it always have to be all or nothing?

He knew that Mira was pissed he was encroaching on her OTP of Natsu and Lucy, and the rest of the guild clearly thought that he was doing something wrong by pursuing her.

He got it, Natsu had never brought someone home before, and all of the sudden, she was his _everything_. So everyone seemed to think she belonged to Natsu, which is ridiculous, she was her own person. He had stayed away before out of respect for their clear attachment, he wasn't a complete jerk and the girl was by his side every moment from the get go, even if it was because he was so obviously always at hers.

Lucy had wanted more and she had, for obvious reasons, thought that she could get that with Natsu - who wouldn't want to date their best friend? Lucy had made her intentions clear to Natsu, who was completely oblivious. Nothing against Natsu, but he was just not _there_ yet in his emotional development.

So, his conscience was clear. He knew that dating guidmates was looked down upon, but seriously if he wanted more than a one night stand - what could he do?

He just didn't fit into the world of his peers outside the guild. The world of confessions and hand made chocolates. Normal non-magical teenagers who hadn't experienced anything deeply traumatizing in their lifetime just weren't an option. He tried, but it always ended with him rejecting the girl when she pulled some over the top romantic bull shit. The scale of life was just different for them.

His guild mates, however, were just as screwed up as him. Unfortunately, most of them were just not an option. A while back he and Cana had tried a low key friends with benefits thing, but it wasn't really enough for him and for the last few years she was ALWAYS drunk, so he never felt like she could really consent. Him and Cana ended up closer though, it was great having another messed up kid he could really connect with - not to mention she made a surprisingly good confidant. And Juvia? It's not like he was opposed to getting to know her better, but Juvia felt like a life sentence. Unless she could chill the fuck out that was NOT going to happen. He would be glad to hit it, but she wanted something WAY too serious and even if he made himself abundantly clear that he wanted to start slower, she would never listen and a break up would clearly devastate her. That is kind of why casual relationships were so looked down up in the guild.

Gray just needed something…well more than friends with benefits but less than a lifetime commitment. Gray wasn't a romantic, but he did enjoy companionship. He was a normal teenage guy, he got horny and the intimate connection from sex was something he desperately needed sometimes, for release from the serious stress of the missions and the drama. He wanted something just for him, he was too fucked up for something normal, but he could at least having something normal _ish_ …just _something_ , he couldn't articulate what but boy was Lucy something.

Everyone thought of Lucy as the light of Fairy Tail, some princess who shouldn't be in any relationship that didn't involve castles and rainbows and babies - or her "one-true-love-even-though-she-doesn't-know-it" - Natsu. The truth was, she was the same as him. She was a romantic but understood that every interaction isn't pregnant with romance. She was a runaway, her life bad enough to walk away from being a billionaire without, as far as he could tell, ever looking back.

Him and Lucy were dating. Just…dating. Their relationship was based on a foundation of the love that they had each other already as friends and guild mates, but they weren't serious. Exclusive, but not serious. It was more than just hooking up and less than riding off into the sunset - isn't that the way it was supposed to be at their age?

If flame brain was just starting to notice now that Lucy was hot and basically everything he could ever want, fuck him. Gray had waited long enough, Natsu lost his chance. Lucy was dating _him_ and their relationship worked. This kind of connection was too fucking rare to just walk away from because everyone was such a big freaking fan of Natsu and Lucy getting together.

Fuck them all, he and Lucy were happy and they all had to accept that that is just the way it is.

 **A/N - Thanks for reading! This is my first publication on this site - how did I do?**

 **Oh, and lest we forget - I don't own Fairy Tail or anything associated with it - just the musings of my silly little mind :)**


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